Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.

I am about to shoot an application off to UNC Chapel Hill. In surfing over there, I was pretty blown away by the difference in housing costs between certain towns there, and the state average, and Pittsburgh. For instance, the first few threads I noticed were to the tune of "where can I find a nice home in the $650-750k range?" Or "I am tired on living in a $1M fixer upper in San Fran, anything in the low $900s there?" Have I missed something? I thought only DC, NYC, and SF Bay Area had prices like that, at least broadly. And this is AFTER the bubble!
So, I am wondering how such a disparity could exist between the Burgh and the Durham, Chapel Hill area? Anyone with experience in both places who can speak to this? That area seems nice enough, but criminy, for $700k I better have stellar house, a view of the sea, and a few dozen acres...oh, and a much better career...!

My first thought, and I believe there is some basis for it, was that it was equity-locust arriving from the coasts. Apparently Chapel Hill was #1 in the country by Money Magazine a few years back, and had great school rankings, so the rich invaded. But one poster suggested it is all home grown and related to the school rankings. Apparently Chapel Hill, with its good schools created a draw for all the doctors, lawyers, investment bankers,etc., which created a white/asian hypereducated upper class bubble, which excludes the lower socioeconomic classes, including the university professors! Now with home prices there (CH) are easily twice the surrounding area, and no poor allowed. Seems like this gentrification dynamic is the opposite, but related process to the spreading blight in some of the neighborhoods of the 'Burgh.

Is this localized hyper-gentrification and white flight, and spreading blight a big issue in eastern cities? Is this obsession with premiere schools thinly-guised racism? Is hyperinflated real estate the socioeconomic moat protecting the capitalist lords of our country from the poorer but more numerous serfs?

All I know is that Pittsburgh housing costs are incredibly reasonable.

One can buy a house in greenfield/lower squirrel hill for $200k-300k where it's safe, walkable, close to 2 large parks, and the High School would be Allderdice, which is ranked as one of the top in the nation.

For the most part, Pittsburgh is a city that escaped the 'pump and dump' property value bubble and crash. Even with 2 major research universities, there's still plenty of room for people who want to move here.

All I know is that Pittsburgh housing costs are incredibly reasonable.

One can buy a house in greenfield/lower squirrel hill for $200k-300k where it's safe, walkable, close to 2 large parks, and the High School would be Allderdice, which is ranked as one of the top in the nation.

For the most part, Pittsburgh is a city that escaped the 'pump and dump' property value bubble and crash. Even with 2 major research universities, there's still plenty of room for people who want to move here.

Not sure how to double quote, but:

Cityguy: I like "pump and dump" I reserve the right to use that one!

Hopes: Sure sounds like a boom to me, but what is interesting is how the values are holding up there, or seem to be? How can that be. The boomtowns are crashing and burning. Seems a bit different, but still a sharp testimony to the differences in bubble and nonbubble areas. Viewing from afar, I see little about NC to recommend it over the Burgh, but apparently others see it differently.

I tried to get a teaching job in Wake County before I landed one in SWPA. Basically, there's a lot of new construction within the Triangle(the area is really, really nice), I think it's somewhere in the top two or three fastest growing areas in the nation in terms of population, and it's almost the reverse of what we have here in terms of trends. Raleigh itself is poised to become the next modern day "it" city along the lines of Portland and Austin in terms of clean growth and development. There's a lot of activity planned for downtown within the next 5-10 years and prices will reflect this as more projects come to completion; lots of buzz around the area and it's always high on those "best places" lists and whatnot.

Yes, you can land a perfectly fine and nice home in the Triangle for $200k or what have you...it's just that you'll be in a bedroom community and a good ways off of any city center. Unlike here where property values seem to be higher in surrounding areas as opposed to the city proper, the closer you get to downtown Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, etc...the more you pay. That's what I've come to like so much about Pittsburgh...you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to be in on the action and out of cookie cutter land. Look about 15 minutes away from Chapel Hill in a surrounding town and you'll see a big drop in prices. Or better yet, compare to a near by county, such as Johnston County, and you'll see the same home go for hundreds of thousands less. Anything within a reasonable commute, let alone walking distance, to a major community in Wake County is going to cost you. Most people look at condos/lofts/townhomes due to this, or do the whole planned community/suburbia thing in places like Cary. Also, there are a lot of ritzy areas that just have a lot of really big and really expensive homes.

All I have to say is that I want to buy a piece of property in a walkable part of Pittsburgh or Morgantown(depending on my job) within the next couple of years while everything is still relatively affordable and not "bubbly"...if we ever start gaining population or catch on with some sort of industry trend, then I could see an eventual end to us being such an affordable oddball of a city/area.

Basically, there's a lot of new construction within the Triangle(the area is really, really nice), I think it's somewhere in the top two or three fastest growing areas in the nation in terms of population, and it's almost the reverse of what we have here in terms of trends.

What is so nice about it? Seems like some beautiful woods around, but no mountains nearby, fairly far from the beach, etc. Climate seems mild, but a bit on the hot and humid side. I don't think it sounds bad by any means, but from what I have read, Pittsburgh sounds quite a bit nicer. More moderate climate, more topography and nearby mountains, rivers, cool urban architecture and cultural district, etc.

Generally, there is a bunch of suburban sprawl, gated communities, big churches(?) there. More like N. Virginia. No?

All this just makes the value of Pittsburgh stand out more in my mind.

As a person who follows a lot of boards...it seems that MANY Northeasterners want to get out of the Northeast because of the cold. The warmest place south that isn't too far south is NORTH CAROLINA. Plus there are tons of Floridians fleeing Florida...as well as 'Half-Backers'....they are the ones from the Northeast who found Florida to be to hot and humid and far away from home, so went 'half back' home to North Carolina.

So...NORTH CAROLINA...has more or less become the CO/OR/WA of the eastern side of the States. So much so, that that is probably one of the reasons that NC turned blue for Obama last election.

The mass majority of it probably isn't from Californians though, it is mostly from NY/Boston/Phila/DC...

Okay, so maybe I haven't resided in Pittsburgh, but I have lived in Raleigh...and with all things considered...Raleigh is terribile.

Currently I reside in South Bend, Indiana (and yes, I am aware that South Bend sucks too.) That being said, I have done much research on cities,and I plan to move to Pittsburgh once I am finished with school.

Raleigh really is a suburban hell. There is almost no character there (unless you can afford to live near the historic downtown area.) It is dominated by soccer moms who drive their *** crap minivans and live in new construction communities. There is absolutely no history there (anymore). And as for the 5 to 10 year "boom" that Raleigh is supposed to experience, well that may have been true up until last year, but I would completely disagree with that today.

The whole reason that I moved to Raleigh to begin with was that my husband was offered what appeared to be a promising job with one of the most respectable architecture firms in the Triangle (cough, Cline Design, cough)...That being said, we are now living back in Indiana...can you guess what happened?? Thats right...lay offs.. by almost 75% for the entire firm. And quite a few of their big projects were supposed to be in the downtown area. The financing just isn't there anymore.

With money in mind, I was completely shocked at what you couldn't buy in Raleigh with a certain budget. We ended up purchasing a foreclosed townhome in Cary for what I consider way too much money. After moving back to South Bend, we bought another property for much less, in a nicer neighborhood, and almost twice the size. (Another reason, I love the midwest). I just can't understand the appeal of an overpriced suburban hell...

Okay, so maybe I am a bit biased, and am a midwestern girl at heart...but honestly...Raleigh??? Are you kidding me??? I would never go there again...and don't even get me started on the weather...

Hopes: Sure sounds like a boom to me, but what is interesting is how the values are holding up there, or seem to be? How can that be. The boomtowns are crashing and burning. Seems a bit different, but still a sharp testimony to the differences in bubble and nonbubble areas. Viewing from afar, I see little about NC to recommend it over the Burgh, but apparently others see it differently.

From what I understand, a lot of families from New York City metro area moved to North Carolina. Maybe housing prices have remained high because they telecommute and don't need to move. Maybe they are being stubborn and holding onto their properties because they made a fortune on their New York properties when they moved and refuse to lose value in their current properties.

Just imagine what happened where you live with Californians increasing the real estate value due to the ridiculous amount of money they got for their California property. Do you see property values declining in the near future where you live? I doubt it. That's exactly what happened to North Carolina. It didn't experience a normal boom. It experienced a migration of wealthy from New York just like your area experienced from California.

It could be as simple as the school system. North Carolina's school system sucks. If Chapel Hill is one of the few good school districts in North Carolina, it would make sense that housing prices would remain stable because anyone who wants to move there would want to live in Chapel Hill even during a bad economy.

Okay, so maybe I haven't resided in Pittsburgh, but I have lived in Raleigh...and with all things considered...Raleigh is terribile.

Currently I reside in South Bend, Indiana (and yes, I am aware that South Bend sucks too.) That being said, I have done much research on cities,and I plan to move to Pittsburgh once I am finished with school.

Raleigh really is a suburban hell. There is almost no character there (unless you can afford to live near the historic downtown area.) It is dominated by soccer moms who drive their *** crap minivans and live in new construction communities. There is absolutely no history there (anymore). And as for the 5 to 10 year "boom" that Raleigh is supposed to experience, well that may have been true up until last year, but I would completely disagree with that today.

The whole reason that I moved to Raleigh to begin with was that my husband was offered what appeared to be a promising job with one of the most respectable architecture firms in the Triangle (cough, Cline Design, cough)...That being said, we are now living back in Indiana...can you guess what happened?? Thats right...lay offs.. by almost 75% for the entire firm. And quite a few of their big projects were supposed to be in the downtown area. The financing just isn't there anymore.

With money in mind, I was completely shocked at what you couldn't buy in Raleigh with a certain budget. We ended up purchasing a foreclosed townhome in Cary for what I consider way too much money. After moving back to South Bend, we bought another property for much less, in a nicer neighborhood, and almost twice the size. (Another reason, I love the midwest). I just can't understand the appeal of an overpriced suburban hell...

Okay, so maybe I am a bit biased, and am a midwestern girl at heart...but honestly...Raleigh??? Are you kidding me??? I would never go there again...and don't even get me started on the weather...

Wow! I did not know the whole story, but this version and TBs above seem to jibe. I have nothing against the Triangle mind you, just cannot comprehend $700k suburban homes without $200k family incomes, unless they had tapped into a bubble. As it turns out, all the climate things you say (folks fleeing the cold, but not wanting to go too far) AND a bit of the California effect. Believe it or not, quite a few Californians did in fact move to NC, and of course they targeted the Triangle-a good place for techies. However, I had now idea of the magnitude of this effect.

Hopes, alas, I am afraid you might be right too. Yes, if many people tapped into the wealth in Cal or the NE and bought big, income is less an issue for those individuals, they probably paid cash for their McMansions. However, the overall runup must be deflating because the source areas have tanked. Just might be a delay...still who would want to buy someone elses depreciating asset. My wife wants to buy a home here in Oregon, but I still have no trust in the market. Just too out of wack.

Still waiting to hear back from Pitt...we'll see...

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.